Scholars Day: April 9, 2014

Heterosexuals who have LGBT friends, acquaintances, or relatives, tend to have more positive attitudes toward marriage equality (Herek, 2009). Although this research suggests that personal relationships with LGBT individuals predict favorable marriage equality attitudes, few studies have examined the relationship between such attitudes and proactive behavioral intentions toward LGBT individuals. Moreover, little work has analyzed the relationship between marriage equality attitudes, prejudice, and reactions to LGBT hate crimes. The current study addressed these gaps in the literature by directly examining the relationships between marriage equality attitudes, prejudice , negative proactive behavioral intentions toward LGBT individuals, and reactions to LGBT hate crimes. Results revealed that marriage equality attitudes were positively related to prejudice, negative proactive behavioral intentions, recognition of a hate crime, and reduced belief in perpetrator justification. These results suggest that marriage equality attitudes are not merely political attitudes but interplay with behavioral intentions and perceptions of hate crimes.